From 17 October 2026 a large number of retailers and service providers in Croatia must change the way they display prices to their customers.

The new rules were originally scheduled to apply from 1 October 2026, but on 29 September the Government of the Republic of Croatia extended the adjustment deadline to 17 November 2026.

The postponement applies to the obligation to display an additional price, the so-called anchor price, and to the publication of price lists for products and services. The reference date of 10 September 2026 remains unchanged, so businesses that have already adjusted their price lists and price labels do not need to redo them just because the start date has changed.

The Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted two new decisions: the Decision on Displaying an Additional Price as a Direct Price Control Measure and the Decision on Publishing Price Lists of Products and Services as a Direct Price Control Measure, both published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 101/2026.

The change is significant because the obligation to display an additional price, the so-called anchor price, is being extended to a much larger number of products and services. The aim of the measures is to increase price transparency and make it easier for consumers to compare current prices with those that applied on the prescribed reference date.

The new rules do not apply only to large retail chains. They cover sellers of goods and providers of services to end consumers, regardless of whether they operate as a company, a sole trade, a self-employed professional, a family farm (OPG), or in some other form. In its clarification, the Ministry of Economy specifically emphasised that the measure applies to traders as defined by consumer protection regulations.

It is therefore important to check in good time whether the new obligations apply to your business and to adjust your price lists, points of sale, websites and advertising.

Two New Obligations That Should Not Be Confused

Although they apply from the same date, two separate obligations need to be distinguished.

The first is displaying an additional price, or anchor price, alongside the current retail price of a product or service.

The second is publishing a prescribed digital price list on your own website, which applies to traders and service providers that have an established website.

This means a business may be required to display anchor prices even if it has no website of its own. On the other hand, if it does have a website, it must check whether it is also required to publish a price list in the prescribed digital format.

What Exactly Is an Anchor Price?

An anchor price serves as a reference value against which the consumer can compare the current price of a product or service.

For most products covered by the new Decision for the first time, and for services, the reference date is 10 September 2026. Alongside the current retail price, the price that applied to that product or service on that day is displayed, excluding special forms of sale such as promotions and other discounts.

For example, if a particular hairdressing service cost 20 euros on 10 September and costs 23 euros from October, the price that applied on 10 September must be displayed alongside the current price.

It is important to stress that the anchor price is not a maximum permitted price. The business is not required to sell the product or service at that price. It serves as reference information that allows consumers to track price changes.

For Some Products, 2 May 2025 Still Applies

Not all products will have 10 September 2026 as their reference date.

For products in the categories of food, beverages, cosmetics, cleaning agents, toiletries and household products, which were already covered by the previous decision, the additional price that applied on 2 May 2025 continues to be displayed.

For these products, no further anchor price based on 10 September 2026 is introduced. The Ministry explicitly clarified that this avoids double anchoring of the same product.

Businesses dealing in different product categories should therefore take particular care not to replace the existing 2025 reference prices in their systems with new 2026 ones.

Who Must Display Anchor Prices?

The new rules significantly expand the range of obligated parties.

In addition to traditional retailers, the obligation also applies to providers of services to consumers. In practice, this may include, for example, restaurants and cafés, hairdressers, beauticians, car mechanics, repair services, rent-a-car companies, family farms and other businesses that deal with end consumers.

The key factor is doing business with consumers. The measures do not apply to wholesale prices or to services provided exclusively to other businesses or public authorities, i.e. to purely B2B and B2G relationships. There are also certain exemptions for particular products, services and methods of displaying prices.

Where Must the Anchor Price Be Visible?

The anchor price must be displayed next to the current retail price, clearly, visibly and legibly.

If a product’s price is shown on a price tag, the additional price must be on the same tag. If a service provider uses a price list, both prices must be shown on the same price list. It is not permitted to have one price list with current prices and another with anchor prices only.

The Ministry recommends a simple labelling format, for example:

Current price: €25.00
Price on 10 Sept 2026: €22.00

It is not necessary to write the term “anchor price” or “additional price” next to the price if the display makes clear which reference date it relates to.

What If the Product Was on Promotion on 10 September?

There is an important distinction here.

If the product or service was on promotion, discount or another special form of sale on the reference date, the discounted price is not used as the anchor price.

Instead, the regular retail price that applied before the special form of sale is used.

The anchor price should not be confused with the lowest price in the last 30 days, which applies to special forms of sale.

As a result, as many as three prices may appear at the same time for a discounted product: the current discounted price, the lowest price in the last 30 days, and the anchor price.

What About New Products and Services?

If a product or service is first added to the range after 10 September 2026, there is logically no price for it on the reference date.

In that case, the anchor price becomes the first retail price applied when the product or service was added to the range, together with the corresponding date.

If the product was already part of the range but was temporarily out of stock on 10 September, the price recorded in the system on that day is used.

And Services Without a Single Fixed Price?

The new rules also cover activities where the final price is not always known in advance.

For example, a car mechanic may charge per hour of labour, a tiler per square metre, and the final price of a custom-made product may depend on materials, installation and other elements.

In such cases, the anchor price is determined for the individual elements that make up the final price.

The same applies to services whose final price depends on route, demand, an algorithm or another variable factor.

The Anchor Price Also Applies to Advertising

The adjustment does not end with changing the price list on business premises.

If a business displays the price of a product or service in an advertisement, the obligation to display the additional price also applies to certain forms of advertising – including leaflets, posters, websites and digital forms of advertising within the sales or service premises.

According to the Ministry’s clarification, loyalty programmes and television and radio advertising are not considered digital forms of advertising for the purposes of this obligation.

This means businesses need to review not only their price lists but also any marketing materials on which they will display prices once the new rules take effect.

Have a Website? Then There Is Another Important Obligation

The second major change concerns publishing price lists on websites.

The obligation applies to traders and service providers that have their own established website. It does not matter whether the site allows online purchases or bookings – the obligation exists even if the website only serves to present the company and its services.

If a business does not have its own website, this Decision does not require it to create one. A social media profile is not considered a business’s own website.

A PDF or Photo of the Price List Is Not Enough

The digital price list must be published in a format suitable for automated data processing.

The Decision explicitly prescribes .CSV or .XML format.

This means that a PDF, a photo of the price list, or an ordinary table displayed on the website are not, on their own, sufficient to meet this obligation. A business may keep them as an additional display for customers, but the prescribed CSV or XML file must also exist.

For traders, the price list must include, among other things, the product name, code and brand, the relevant price information, the anchor price, the barcode where applicable, and information on product availability. For service providers, a narrower set of data is prescribed, including the name of the service, the retail price, information on any special form of sale where applicable, and the anchor price.

How Often Must the Price List Be Updated?

The rules differ for traders and service providers.

Traders must update their product price list once a day, no later than 8:00 a.m. for the current working day.

Service providers update their price list after a price change, no later than 8:00 a.m. on the day the change takes effect.

According to the Ministry’s clarification, a price change during the day does not require an additional update to the file that same day. Previously published price lists must remain available on the website for at least 30 days.

More Locations Means More Files

Businesses with multiple sales or service locations need to pay extra attention to the technical setup.

A separate price list file must be published for each individual location, even if all locations have the same range and the same prices. A separate file is also required for the online shop.

The file name is not arbitrary either. It must contain prescribed elements such as the type of premises, address, premises code, upload number, and date and time of submission.

What to Do Before 17 October?

Although the start date has been extended, it is not wise to leave preparation until the last day.

Before the rules take effect, businesses should identify which products and services are covered, keep records of the regular prices that applied on the relevant date, separate out the products for which the 2 May 2025 reference date remains, adjust price lists and price labels, and review promotional materials.

If they have their own website, they also need to arrange the creation and publication of a CSV or XML price list, appoint a person responsible for updating it, and ensure an archive of previous versions.

In other words, this is not just an accounting matter. For many businesses, preparation will need to involve sales, accounting, marketing, and the people responsible for the website or business software.

Conclusion

From 17 November 2026, anchor prices will become part of the day-to-day operations of a considerably larger number of businesses.

The most important thing is to distinguish between the two obligations: displaying the additional price alongside the current price of a product or service and, for those with their own website, publishing the prescribed digital price list.

Particular attention should be paid to correctly determining the reference date, products that were discounted on that date, new products and services, price advertising, and the technical format and update deadlines for price lists.

If you are not sure whether the new obligations apply to your business or how to properly adjust your records and business processes, brandom is at your disposal.